


First Words

by Acrata



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, First Words, Fluff, I love these nerds, Lots of dialogue, great stuff, jily, prompts, soul marks
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 09:26:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6233287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acrata/pseuds/Acrata
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James and Lily find out what each others soul marks are and whether they are 'destined to be' or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Words

**Author's Note:**

> I was given a general prompt by an anon on tumblr to write a "standard soulmate au where their first words are written on your skin. Only it's their first words ever, not their first words to you". I decided to write a Jily fanfic based on the prompt and that's what this is.
> 
> Also I just felt that James' first word would probably be really inappropriate.

“Hey Evans, there’s no reason to be nervous. My parents love you and you know it!” James Potter said to his very nervous fiancé.

“Shut up James, you don’t understand!” Lily shot back.

“You’re right, I don’t understand! You love them, they love you, and it’s not the first time you’ve met my parents.”

“Yes, I’ve met them before but this is the first time I’m meeting them as your fiancé!” She said stressing the last word. 

James sighed leaning over to where his future wife sat. “Babe, you know what my parents are like. My dad collects rubber ducks and my mom thinks that muggle tv shows and movies actually took place. For Merlin’s sake, they’re the least terrifying people on the whole planet.”

After thinking it over, Lily replied “Alright James, I guess you’re right and I’m getting all worked up over nothing; let’s just do this.”

They left Lily’s car, walked over to the Potters’ house, and rang the doorbell. 

After a minute of silence, the door opened to Fleamont and Euphemia Potter’s smiling faces.

Fleamont exclaimed “James my boy! And you’ve brought lovely Lily with you!”

“Oh, do come in. I was just doing a bit of baking.” Euphemia added leading the party to the living room.

“Let me cut everyone a piece of pie.” 

“Mum, Dad, I have to tell you something important before anyone gets any pie; please can you sit down.”

“Good heaven James, what’s going on?” Euphemia asked in alarm.

James linked his hand with Lily’s and took a deep breath only to be interrupted by his father saying “Out with it my boy, you’ve got our attention, and our worry.”

“Dad, it’s nothing serious but I’m dy—oomph” he coughed as Lily elbowed him.

“Merlin, James, I though we had agreed that was not an okay ice breaker. It is never funny to pretend to be dying!” Lily snapped. “What James meant to say is that he asked me to marry him and I said yes.” Lily finished her anxiety momently overcome in her frustration with James. 

“Finally! I thought it would never happen.” Mr. Potter stated.

“Oh Lily darling you’re officially going to be a part of the family!” Mrs. Potter exclaimed.

Lily quietly let out a sigh of relief. All morning her stomach had been in knots thinking of any and all complaints James parents might have had. She knew that some parents might not be overjoyed to find out that their child was getting married at eighteen but James had been right, there was nothing to worry about. 

Euphemia continued with a stern look at her son “And James, if you could stop pretending to be dying every time you get nervous to tell your father and I something, it would surely save us a small heart attack or two.”

“Have you two checked to see if your soulmate marks match yet?” Mr. Potter asked. 

“Fleamont! That’s a highly personal thing! It’s perfectly okay if they haven’t, just let them be!” Mrs. Potter scolded scandalized.

“Mum, it’s alright. We just never felt the need to check if we matched because we felt like the whole thing was overrated. We love each other and no silly soulmate mark is going to change that.” James quickly responded. 

“And it’s none of our business.” Euphemia firmly said effectively ending that line of conversation. 

“Would anyone like some pie?" Fleamont asked taking the not-so-subtle hint from his wife.

“Also, Lily dear you must let me show you some pictures of James as a child.” Euphemia said as she walked into the kitchen. 

James groaned “Mum she doesn’t need to see every embarrassing photo you have of me when I was little.”

“Mrs. Potter I would love to see those pictures.” Lily called giving her fiancé a smirk to which he stuck his tongue out at. 

 

Later when they returned to their small flat and were getting ready for bed Lily quietly asked “James, does it not matter if our soul marks don’t match? It doesn’t bother you even a bit?”

James put his glasses back on before turning to look back at her, “It doesn’t bother me at all if I see it or not. I know I love you and I don’t need any soul mark to tell me that.” He said uncharacteristically serious. 

“The trip to your parents house got me thinking and I think I want to see if they match but I’m scared.” She softly responded.

“If that’s what you want to do then I don’t mind. I don’t want you doing this just because of my Dad though.”

“I want to. Can we do it? And it won’t change anything between us if they don’t match, right?” 

“Absolutely nothing will change. I somehow managed to convince you to marry me, I’m not letting you go that easy.” James gently teased. 

“You go first James. I don’t think I could handle going first.”

“That’s fine.” James slid out of the bed and pulled the front of his shirt up facing away from Lily. “Are you ready? Tell me when you want me to turn around.”

After a couple minutes of quietly standing there Lily finally said “Okay James, you can turn around I’m ready.” with a quiet exhale. 

James turned to reveal his bare chest. She scanned his chest looking for the ink, as everyone’s soul mark is in different spots. She noticed a small smudge of black and leaned forward from her perch on their bed to see the word ‘no’ scrawled on his ribcage. She stared at the mark and noticed it looked almost as if she had written it on him herself. With a sigh of relief Lily jumped out of their bed to throw her arms around James. 

“I take it this means that was your first word. How fitting that ‘no’ would be your first word with how many times you said 'no' to going on a date with me before finally agreeing!” he laughed. 

“Although I do feel bad for you. My parents told me what my first word was and I can only imagine the conversation your parents must have had with you when they saw your soul mark.” James snorted. 

“Can I see yours Lily?” He asked.

Lily pulled back with anxiety no longer a vice around her chest, tugging off her top and turning around so he could see the work ‘fuck’ scrawled in his messy handwriting across her right shoulder blade. 

“I really shouldn’t be surprised at your first word either James. Only you would have said something profane as your first word. Why was that your first word?” She chuckled. 

“I’ll explain, but can I explain after I put my shirt back on? I’m cold.” James complained. “Or at least can we get under the covers first?.”

“Fine, lets get into bed then.” Lily said sliding under the covers holding them open for James.

After they were both comfortably settled in their bed, laying on their sides facing each other James started telling the story behind his first word. 

“My parents have always loved living surrounded by Muggles and they would take me into the nearby city quite often. My dad had heard about some museum exhibit about rubber ducks and he was dragging us to see it.”

“That sounds just like your dad.” Lily interrupted.

“He does love his rubber ducks.” James grinned, “I don’t know why it started but he’s always loved them even when I was young.”

“Anyway-“ James said continuing his story “We were in the city to see this exhibit and we were walking to the museum. As we were waiting for the light to change so we could walk across the street, a business man tripped and spilt hot coffee all over his suit. And you can imagine his response to be scalded by coffee—“ 

“Oh Merlin” Lily snorted, “Let me guess. When he swore, you repeated what he said like a little parrot.”

“Pretty much. When the man said ‘fuck’ my parents said they were shocked when they suddenly heard a little voice mimicking him. You can only imagine the shock on everyone’s faces. To hear my parents tell it, the business man looked horrified, and my parents were a mix of happy at me speaking and horror at knowing that my first word was profane. They were so shocked they immediately went home without even seeing the museum exhibit.” 

As James finished his story he noticed Lily’s face was red from holding in laughter. 

“Oh, fine. You can laugh.” He said.

As soon as he gave his permission it was like the floodgates opened and her pent-up laughter burst from her with James eventually joining in. They laughed until they lost their breath and after their gasping for air settled, James placed a kiss on Lily’s forehead. 

“See, we were meant to be Lily. I think that’s enough for one night. Let’s just go to sleep already before it gets much later.”

Lily leaned over and turned off the bedside lamp after James placed his glasses on their bedside table. 

They settled into one another with James wrapped around Lily’s tiny form in the dark of their room.

“Hey James—” Lily started.

“Yes?” 

“I’m really happy that even fate, or whatever it is, seems to think that we’re meant to be too.”

“Me too.”

“....James?”

“Yes Lily?”

“If we ever have children swear to me that you won’t tell them your word or the story behind the word until their older. The last thing we need is for them to start swearing too.”

James laughed and said “I promise. Can we go to bed now?”

After a pause James heard Lily say, “Yes, goodnight James.”

“ ‘Night Evans.”

Not long after that, the two fell into a deep happy sleep content with the knowledge that they were truly meant to be together.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think.  
> Sorry if it's shitty, I tried.


End file.
